Rocky Mountain Navy Association Newsletter August 2017

Rocky Mountain Navy Association

News The Rocky Mountain Navy Association (RMNA) is a not-for-profit, organization to promote the United States Navy and the Naval Reserve in the local community. Specific out reach efforts have been extended to civic organizations, educational institutions, and the business community. RMNA also provides mission support to the local recruiting command and offers a wide variety of professional development assistance programs to the naval reserve community. Newsletter Contact: James Garrett, CAPT, USNR (Ret.), garrettj3745@yahoo.com This is an interactive newsletter so Click on underlined inks or photos for websites for more information or zoom the page.

Vol. 2 Issue 8

August 2017 If some graphics are unreadable in the current size, just zoom the pdf to increase the size.

Reminding you of next monthly RMNA Luncheon at the American Legion Post, 5400 East Yale, Denver (southeast corner of I-25 and Yale), on Wednesday, September 6th, gathering around 11:30 a.m. .

See You There!

RMNA Interests and Activities Denver Council of Navy League https://www.facebook.com/Denver-Navy-League-295522804808/ Colorado ESGR

https://www.facebook.com/colorado.esgr.1

Navy Recruiting District Denver http://www.cnrc.navy.mil/Denver/ Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) http://www.nrotc.navy.mil/ U. S. Naval Academy Blue and Gold http://www.usna.edu/Admissions/BGO/ USS Colorado (SSN 788) Commissioning Committee http://usscoloradocommittee.org/ Members Annual Golf Tournament This newsletter is posted online to our website at (www.navrescolorado.org) and Facebook page at (https://www.facebook.com/RockyMountainNavyAssociation/) Do you have an idea or a success story to share? Maybe you’ve heard of an upcoming event that we should all support. Send me your ideas @ garrettj3745@yahoo.com. garrettj3745@yahoo.com. There are so many interesting experiences and opportunities to learn and our newsletter is just one way that information can be shared.

Sometimes we hear the term “dog days of summer”.

The dog days were historically the period following the rising of the star Sirius, which Greek and Roman astrology connected with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, Video….fever, mad dogs, and bad luck. They are now taken to be the hottest, most uncomfortable part of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. The Greeks knew the star α Canis Majoris by several names, including Sirius, the Dog Star. So now we know that the dog days of summer have more to do with astronomy than how lazy dogs can get in the hot summer.

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Recall that Captain Richard “Dick” Life was a RMN guest speaker a few months ago discussing the Russian Leaders’ mindset from Putin through the past ages .

Amazing Stories

He submitted the following experience:

Our 20 yr old grand daughter, Anna Raynes of Parker, CO, an Aviation Boatswains Mate Plane Handler, arrived onboard FORD in fall 2015 while it was under construction in Hampton, VA. This spring, after a few days at sea training the crew & testing very high tech systems, it moored on the Norfolk Naval Station "carrier" piers.

We visited Anna in June, & she surprised us -

Bio...

Commissioned Saturday, July 22, 2017

When navy ships are "commissioned", in a traditional elaborate ceremony the shipbuilding company signs them over & they officially become property of the navy. On Saturday, July 22nd the, FORD joined the fleet.

Our elder son, Rick, provided the below piece.

Enjoy, Dick/Richard

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/18/politics/uss-gerald-ford-commissioning-sneak-peek/index.html

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USS Colorado Commissioning Delayed We received word that the Navy is no longer planning on a fall commissioning but rather is investigating March 17th, 2018 as the new target date for Commissioning. This was done to p r o v i d e m a r g i n i n e ve n t a n y construction issues arise during the upcoming sea trials, to provide more lead time for planning / contracting and also hopefully, to have better weather than the November time frame we were looking at. While this is disappointing news, it gives us even more time to plan a great celebration!

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USS COLORADO (SSN 788) COMMISSIONING COMMITTEE

Crew Moves Aboard. John Fielder Pictures Installed

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On June 23rd USS Colorado passed two significant milestones. First was Habitability milestone. That milestone means that the ship is acceptable for the crew to live on board and that the mess is now open. Earlier this week the pictures that John Fielder donated to the boat were installed in the crew’s mess area, so the ship is truly taking on the character of our state. The second milestone is “In Service” which means the crew is now responsible for the safety and security of the boat, damage control, and they man the in-port forward watches of Petty Officer of the Deck and other armed watchstanders.

They will hold morning and evening colors and ringing on-board of senior officers (with the standard-issue bell for now).

These are significant achievements, one step closer to sea trials and to Commissioning!

Click here for link to slide show of the John Fielder pictures installed in the Crew’s Mess and on the Serving Line.

Bio...

Committee makes presentation to Senator Gardner On July 21st the Committee, in conjunction with sponsor Charles Schwab, presented a framed picture of the ship’s crest to Senator Cory Gardner. On hand were Committee members Ryan Schwab, Dick Cooper and Florence Mackin along with several members of Charles Schwab organization at the Schwab campus in Lone Tree. Several members of Senator Gardner’s staff were also on hand, Including 3 interns working for the summer in his Denver office. The Senator was interested in the activities of the committee over the past 3 years. He was proud to add his signature to our “traveling” picture of a Virginia Class submarine, and was quite impressed with the picture of the ship’s crest which will hang in his office in Washington, DC. Click here for link to slide show of the presentation.

Congressman Perlmutter honors Vietnam Veterans On July 21st Committee Chair JJ Mackin was honored to join Congressman Ed Perlmutter and Colorado’s new Adjutant General, Major General Michael Loh, in honoring Vietnam-era veterans in a ceremony at Red Rock Community College. Over 50 veterans of every service we presented with Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pins and a certificate.

The veterans were joined by their families and seemed truly appreciative of the ceremony. This was the fifth such ceremony Congressman Perlmutter has organized. For more information visit Congressman Perlmutter’s Web Site. Photos courtesy of Congressman Perlmutter’s staff.

Click here for link to slide show of the presentation.

Note: Newsletter editor, James Garrett was present for the ceremony as one of the Veterans honored.

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Fears of Frogmen: Why Navies Are Spooked by 'Ghost' Combat Divers Despite cutting edge tech and defense systems, one diver can still cause lots of damage.

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Navies around the globe have been spooked lately by the specter of unauthorized scuba divers lurking near military bases. China claims divers approaches one of its ships, while the United States recently scrambled to chase a ghost in the water, too.

The fear of these divers, or frogmen, is a subtle indicator of global tension. And with growing concerns of major conflicts erupting in Asia, Africa, and beyond, such reports indicate a rise in Special Operations missions near seaports or the heightened paranoia of the globe's biggest militaries. Or both.

The South China Post has a good summary of Chinese state media's reports about that incident.

The Chinese claim "a Japanese naval ship sent frogmen to approach a Chinese warship" while docked at Djibouti. (It's telling that this drama unfolded in eastern Africa, where China is projecting its power much to Japan and India's dismay.)

The Japanese military did not report the incident. But Jian Jiamin, a legal counselor with China's PLA navy who served in Africa, reported the encounter to the media. Jiamin, now a prosecutor, says the Chinese ship could take "necessary measures to stop [the divers] or even to exercise its self-defense rights."

That's a pretty serious response to some guys in scuba gear, but such fears are on the rise. This week the U.S. Navy itself had a frogman scare at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia. Sailors on watch spotted what they thought could be a diver in a restricted pier. The Navy scrambled helicopters and ships to scour the area, but the lockdown eventually lifted after no one was found.

Still, the high alert is reasonable considering there are more than 60 ships docked at that station, including the new USS Ford aircraft carrier. These are some prized military assets and are not to be messed with. That's also why there's an underwater security gate that encircles the 14 piers at Norfolk, originally built by Halo Maritime Defense, and have been deemed interesting enough to be profiled by the American Galvanizers Association.

Aside from some facts about the Navy's history with hot-tip galvanizing, the site shares some details about the design. "The fences are constructed with modular units connected together so they can absorb water movements and levels," the association says. " Flotation pontoons support the steel structure and nets catch watercraft attempting to jump the pontoons, basically creating a floating fence."

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Happy Birthday Coast Guard

On Aug. 4, the Coast Guard celebrated its 223rd birthday.

Semper Paratus!